Dental Assistants: Connecting with Your Patients

Dental Assistants: Connecting with Your Patients

If you are about to graduate, or you are new in the field, you might understand that connecting with your patients is going to be a very important role in your career for years to come. It might seem daunting, but let us assure you, it isn’t impossible. If you are not used to interacting with strangers in a professional setting, it can seem very scary, even impossible, but there are steps you can take to connect with your patients and make the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Tips That Can Help

Interpersonal skills are absolutely vital when it comes to being a dental assistant, so here are a few tips that can help you communicate with your patients in a calm and enjoyable manner.

Be a Good Listener – The first tip is simply this: don’t try too hard! Don’t worry about trying to start conversations right away; you will get a feel for it as time goes on. Just be a good listener. Don’t interrupt your patient when they are talking. Listen to them when they are asking questions or voicing concerns and answer questions to the best of your ability.

Get a Clear Explanation of Expectations from the Dentist – Something that will make you more comfortable in your job is to understand what exactly is expected of you clearly. Ask the dentist to be clear about what they want from you and what your responsibilities are. The less anxious you are about your actual responsibilities, the easier it will be to connect with your clients.

Be Organized – Being organized goes hand in hand with fully understanding your responsibilities. If you know what you are supposed to do, how to do it, and exactly where everything is that you need, you will be far less stressed out. Once you remove every stress associated with your job, you will be ready to communicate with your patients.